Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1887-02-19
GOSsIPRY.

UDSSlPh1.
The word gossip is commonly used now
adays to imply idle tattling from house tc
house. In the days of its origin, however
this word had Il far different meaning. |
then meant, according to Webster. a spon
sor who answers fer a child in baptism; {
relation by a religious obligation, from
cod God, and NIB alliance, relation. From
that it came to mean a cOmrade or friend
or familiar acquaintance until, at last II
has come to mean a tale-bearer, one who
runs from house to house telling each &C,
quaintance everything about everybody
else-in short, a busy body, Yet there
are many gossips who never leave their
own homes to tell anything, and perhaps
this kind is less safe tran the infatigable
r~astlers after scandal and disbursers Of it:
because the latter class is known and
stunned by all who care to keep them
selves frea from the communicating in
huences Of gossipry; but the former,
though just as eager to hear and repeat
every little item disguise the fact in many
ways, and are in truth veritahle wolves in
Sleeps clothing, worming, as they do,
MANY a story of private affairs from I'M
suspecting victims underth soothing garb
of interested friendship: and the stories so
gained are retailed again with many an
establishment, yet with great caution, 50
as not to alarm the hearers. Many peo-
pie are gossips after this fashion and, de-
string to satisfy their Unsuitable thirst for
this questionable amusement, yet knowing
how a good class OF citizens look down
upon gossipers, adopt this underhand, willy
method. Reader, beware of such, or they
will cause you many & smart! Not only
beware Of such but Of all gossips and scan
DIAL mongers of every kind.
1t is almost generally accepted that it is
he female portion of the community
which is prone to fall into this bad habit,
and this is generally true in the large
cities where the male population is away
from home all day and the children at
school. But in villages and new towns
there is little doubt but what the men are
just as cosby as the women. In new
places people are usually in an unsettled
condition-the new place is ike a hive
and the people are like bees swarming in
and around the hive, everybody knows
everybody else and their business besides.
In old settled, s~low-going villages the con
ditions are different but produce similar
results. People there take things easy
and have not only the time, but alas too
often the inclination also to listen to the
idle stories of their acquaintance.
Gossiping is bad in any light, but it
would lose much of its depraving infu
ence if people would tell exactly what
they hear in the exact language of the
author of the subject they repeat; but no,
they must give a story more vim: they
must make weak points stronger, then the
leading features of the case have to be
described more wildly in order to clearly
contrast with the details, and so it goes on.
One day the birthday of a gentleman's
child came around and (the parents being
pious people, invited two ministers with
their families and a young man of our ac-
quaintance 20 celebrate the event by taking
supper there, which they did. What was
our astonishment a few days later when
we heard that this family had invited a
whole house-full of friends and left out
certain others who were on intimate terms
with them. This piece of gossip was told
in such a way as to make these slighted(D
friends feel angry, and why should they
get angry? Just because they trusted too
much to Mrs. Hearsay and her bosom
friend Mrs. Dont-say-Itold-you-so. One
cannot put too little confidence in these
people who run about putting the worst
face IN every story, or foundation for a
story, they fall in with. Many of them
glory in making trouble between friends
and invariably come out of it scott free
themselves. There are many illustrations